Handrail for moving stairways



Jan. 21, 1936. H. w. SHONNARD 2,028,358

IIANDRAIL FOR MOVING STAIRWAYS Filed June 27, 1954 ATTORNEYS PatentedJan. 1936 a 7 UNITED STATE PAT E NT OFFICE scum.

This invention-relates to improvements in hand rails formovingstairways.

Its object is to provide a flexible movable hand rail of novelconstruction with portions of its inner surface which. are slidable onguides, of a material having a low coefllcient of friction and with-anintermediate part of its inner surface which is adapted to be driven, ofa material or shape that will cooperate with driving means to provideafrictional'difierential between itself and the slid!- able surfaces,thereby providing a hand rail of simple construction having tractionalproperties that will permit of its being dri, en at low driving tensionwithout slipping so that all parts of the hand rail may be operatedin-the same plane, to thereby reduce the space occupied by the balusetrades which enclose parts of the hand rail, and tolengthen the usefullife of the hand rail by reducing the tension necessary to drive it. vThe invention'will be understood by referring to the drawing and fromthe following description, and its novelfeatures will be pointed out inof a hand rail which embodies my invention, together witha similarsection of its guide rail and of a bannister upon which the latter issupported:

, Fig. 2 is a similar cross section showing a hand .rail of the sameconstruction, and a portion of a.

driving member, in thiscase a pulley; and Fig. 3 is a cross sectionillustrating a modification of construction. 1

i designates a hand rail of rubber or other flexible material of aflattened G cross sectional shape having substantially semi-circularends H and a flat intermediate part l2. This is the usual shape of handrails of this character and forms no part of my invention,- except thata valuable feature of the invention is that no material change in theusual shape of such hand rails is'necessary. The inner surface of thehand rail is a'layer 13 of a flexible material which has a lowcoeflicient of friction, such ascanvas. In termediate the curved ends ofthe rail is a band ll of a flexible material which has a highercoeflici'ent of friction, suchas rubber. This band It, in fact all ofthe parts so far described, may be continuous and endless. The band ispreferably mixed to the handrail.

20 designates a bannister upon "which is supported the upper run of atrack or guide 2 I The ends of this track are bent to form transverselycurved portions 22 upon which the upper run of Intermediate these curvedends is a flat portion 23 which rests upon and is secured to. thebannister III. Thisinterme'diate portion is depressed to form aclearance for the band it. It is understood that the lower or return runof the hand rail is supported upon a rail of the same or similarcharacter.

The section in Fig. 2 is taken vertically through the center'of adriving pulley ill which extends through the bannister 20 which isslotted at this place, as at 2!, to form a clearance for the pulley. Thebandllrestsupon the periphery of pulley, in driving engagementtherewith. As shown,

. the periphery of the pulley is formed of a matcrial ii of a highcoefficient of'friction, such for 5 exa nple, as rubber.

I have shown the band II as flat, as that is its most simple andpreferred shape and construction, but the invention isifSt. limited inthis particular. Ihave, for example, shown in Fig. 3 a

.traction member A in the form of a beveled v edge belt. This may beaffixed to the hand rail in any desired manner.

With this particular construction, the rail NA is shaped as shown toform a clearance for the g5 driven member I IA. As shown, theintermediate portion "A is considerably lower than the curved ends. 22Ain order to form a space through which traction member on the centralportion of said 40' body of a material having a higher coefficient offriction thanthat of'said slidable surfaces.

2. A hand rail for moving stairways comprising a flexible body having acentral portion and channel shaped sides, a lining for said body of amaterial having a low coefllcient of friction adapted to slide onguides, and a driven member ofa material of a higher coeflicient offriction on said central portion of the body;

3. A hand rail for moving'stairways cOmprisinga flexible body having acentral portion and channel shaped sides, a liningfor said bodyof amaterial having a low coeflicient of friction adapted to slide onguides, and a driven member of a material of a higher coefllcient offriction on the lining on said central portion of the body.

4. A hand rail for moving stairways comprising a flexible body having aflattened central portion and channel shaped sides with inner surfacesadapted to slide on guides. and a substantially flat frictionalnon-metallic traction mem-' her on the central portion of said body of amaterial having a higher coefficient of friction than that of saidslidable surfaces.

" 5. A hand rail for moving stairways comprising a flexible body havinga central portion and channel shaped sides with inner surfaces adaptedto slide on guides, and a frictional non-metallic traction member on thecentral portion of said body. of a material having a higher coefli'cientof friction than that of said slidable surfaces, combined with astationary guide havins spaced tracks slidably supporting the hand railby its channelshaped sides.

friction-than that of said slidable surfaces, combined with a drivingmember in engagement with said traction member.

7. A hand rail' for moving stairways comprising a flexible body. havinga central portion and channel shaped sides with inner surfaces adaptedto slide on guides, and a frictional non-metallic traction member on thecentral portion of said body of a -material having a higher coemcient of.friction than that of said slidable surfaces.

combined with a driving pulley having a tire of resilient material inengagement with said traction member. 8. A hand rail for moving'stairways comprising a flexible body having a central portion andchannel shaped sides with inner surfaces adapted to slide on guides, anda frictional non-metallic traction member'on the central portion of saidbody of a material having a higher coeflicient of friction than that ofsaid slidable surfaces, combined with a stationary guide having spacedtracks slidably supporting the hand rail by its channel shaped sides andwith a driving memher in engagement with said traction member.

HAROLD W. SHONNARD.

